Imagine walking the streets of Edo, the bustling city that once was Tokyo. You can do just that with Hyper Edohaku, a captivating app that brings Edo’s history to life. Developed as a collaboration between the Edo-Tokyo Museum and a gaming company, Hyper Edohaku is a key part of the Tokyo Smart Culture Project. This initiative seeks to make art and culture accessible to everyone, anytime, anywhere.
A Journey Through Time: Discover Edo’s Hidden Treasures
Get ready to play as Edohakun, a young boy navigating the bustling streets of Edo. Your mission? Discover and collect 100 precious artifacts hidden throughout the city, representing the Edo-Tokyo Museum’s incredible collection. As you explore, you’ll be transported back to the Edo Period, immersing yourself in the unique customs and daily life of the people.
A City Reimagined: Explore Edo’s Iconic Landmarks
Step into the vibrant Ryogokubashi Bridge area, painstakingly recreated using historical records and the museum’s own Edo-Tokyo model. This vibrant district comes alive in four stages, each with its own unique charm: the traditional Japanese tenement house, the iconic Ryogokubashi Bridge, the serene Ekoin Temple, and the bustling Sumida River. Each stage is packed with five to ten artifacts waiting to be discovered, offering a glimpse into the past. Once you complete the stages, you’re free to revisit them, uncovering even more treasures.
Authenticity at its Core: Bringing Edo to Life
The developers went to great lengths to ensure authenticity, meticulously recreating the city’s atmosphere. The app features characters with historical hairstyles and clothing, movements based on motion-capture footage of traditional Japanese dance, and a world designed to feel incredibly real. Even after you’ve collected all the artifacts, you’ll be captivated by the rich details and endless opportunities for exploration.
A Museum in Your Pocket: Bringing History to Life
The Edo-Tokyo Museum, with its vast collection of over 370,000 artifacts, carefully selected 100 items for the app. These captivating objects were chosen based on their ability to engage users, fitting seamlessly into the app’s thematic stages and capturing attention at first glance.
Unlocking the Past: Engaging Descriptions for All
One of the biggest challenges was creating descriptions for the artifacts that would be engaging for everyone. While museum exhibits often use detailed descriptions that appeal to those with prior knowledge, the app needed concise, captivating descriptions that would pique the interest of those unfamiliar with the artifacts. The team collaborated with game developers to ensure the descriptions were both informative and entertaining, attracting a wide audience, from children to those with little knowledge of Edo history.
Bridging the Gap: Making Museums Accessible
Hyper Edohaku pushes the boundaries of museum engagement. Previously, museum digital content relied primarily on 360-degree VR experiences and online archives. Hyper Edohaku, however, utilizes a game engine, laying the groundwork for future integration into the metaverse and VR, transforming artifacts from mere objects into interactive data. This allows the Edo-Tokyo Museum’s rich resources to be used in schools and other educational environments, creating immersive “virtual museum visits.”
A New Era for Museums: Connecting with the World
The Edo-Tokyo Museum, though renowned in Japan, remains largely unknown overseas. Hyper Edohaku serves as a powerful promotional tool, raising the museum’s international profile. The app may even inspire users to visit the real museum, eager to see the artifacts they discovered in the game firsthand.
Hyper Edohaku is a testament to the transformative power of digitalization in the museum world. It empowers us to explore history, engage with artifacts in new and exciting ways, and bridge the gap between museums and the wider world. The future holds boundless possibilities, with interactive experiences, virtual museum visits, and boundless avenues for exploration just around the corner.
